Rocky Gerung Challenges Intellectuals to Test the Prabowonomics Concept

Rocky Gerung challenged academics to conduct methodological testing of the Prabowonomics economic concept during the launch of Syahganda Nainggolan’s book Menggugat Republik at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) on Thursday, 5 March. He argued that the use of the term Prabowonomics has sparked scholarly discussion because it carries a specific methodology and ideology into the political economy discourse. ‘Once Prabowonomics is named, people assume there is a methodology and an ideology there. The intellectual task is to expose it methodologically,’ Rocky said at an event initiated by the Great Institute. He maintained that when an economic concept is personified as a genre name, it automatically enters the realm of scientific discourse and must be tested for validity academically. During his talk, he outlined the three pillars of Indonesia’s constitutional economy: corporations, state-owned enterprises (BUMN), and cooperatives. He explained that corporations play a role in economic accumulation, BUMN serve to strengthen national autonomy, and cooperatives act as instruments of social solidarity. He suggested that the economic concept associated with President Prabowo Subianto aims to reinforce this pillar of social solidarity. In addition to economic issues, Rocky offered critical notes on the state of the public sphere, lamenting the dominance of buzzers, influencers, and social media algorithms that he believes are eroding the republic as a space for the public use of reason. ‘The republic is designed to foster conversation. But these days political communication is dominated by buzzers, influencers, and algorithms,’ he told scholars and students in attendance. The discussion event provides a platform for intellectuals to dissect the political and economic ideas developing under President Prabowo Subianto’s government.